Ave atque vale, Scott Adams

It used to seem that Scott must have been hiding behind our office copier.

The times I caught Scott's show there was always something of value. He never held back and was plain about things his audience might not want to hear. His perspective on influence and persuasion came from an odd angle, but nothing about it was fanciful. His reasoning was often centered around the question of who benefitted.

I encountered Dilbert in my first office job. Catbert was ruthless and maybe the most entertaining character. Some may recall Dilbert's boss and how his hairstyle evolved to eventually resemble devil-like horns. I agree with Joel, Scott seemed to have insight into what apparently happens in every office.

Adams later put forward an organizational theory that in larger companies and agencies mediocrity gets promoted so it does less damage. In other words, you get those people away from clients (and equipment). He was a keen observer of much more than office dynamics and he leaves behind hours and hours of shared insight. His main self-stated goal was to be "useful." Achieved.

RIP

I wasn't a big fan of Dilbert, but I was a fan of Scott's. His book "How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big" was one of the better self help books that I have read and I have incorporated some of his practices. At a time when it was easier and "cooler" to be with the woke crowd, he spoke out. RIP Scott. Wish you had been able to beat it for a little longer.

In his last message, he describes how he felt that his purpose was to be useful, and that was the way he wanted to be remembered. I think he can be assured of that.

It's another thing we share; I have always wanted to be useful, to do work that mattered. I am blessed that I can continue my craft for the foreseeable future with no physical limitations. I'll never be in the same class of writers that Scott Adams was, but I can take their work, make it more accessible, and add something to it. I think of narration as building an appropriate frame for a picture someone else painted.

It's instructive to examine the reasons why Adams was considered "controversial." He made an ironic statement about a survey of how black people feel about white people, and it was taken out of context and essentially shut down the distribution of Dillbert through conventional means. It delivered a huge hit to his income. He didn't apologise or grovel. He took the hit, rechanneled his effort away from a daily strip, and carried on. Agree or disagree with his statement before or since, but you must admit that took courage.

Almost every cubicle and office I worked at in DOE had Dilbert cartoons posted on the walls or doors. I had several personal favorites that followed me everywhere I was assigned until I retired . . .

Update: Supervisors always noted when a large number of "stupid boss" cartoons showed up. They got worried . . .